Zionism
Zionism the most reactionary variety of Jewish bourgeois nationalism. Zionism became widespread duringthe 20th century among the Jews in the capitalist countries. Today it is a nationalistic ideology,represented by a ramified system of organizations and a policy expressing the interests of theJewish big bourgeoisie, which is closely linked with the monopolistic bourgeoisie of the imperialiststates. Modern Zionism is militantly chauvinist, racist, anticommunist, and anti-Soviet. Zionism emerged as a political trend in the late 19th century. Its function was to distract the Jewishtoiling masses from the revolutionary struggle and to maintain bourgeois dominance over them. Toattain these aims, the Zionist ideologists advanced plans for solving the “Jewish question” bycreating a “Jew state” with the aid of the great powers. This idea was set forth in Der Judenstaat(The Jew State; 1896), published by the Austrian journalist Theodor Herzl, a Zionist ideologist. Atthe first Zionist Congress, held in Basel in 1897, the World Zionist Organization (WZO) wasfounded. It proclaimed that the official goal of Zionism was to “create for the Jewish people a homein Palestine secured by public law.” The ideology of Zionism is highly eclectic. It utilizes many dogmas of Judaism but also includestheories of bourgeois nationalism and social chauvinism, transformed by Zionist ideologists. Zionistideology maintains that the Jews in various countries constitute an extraterritorial “single worldwideJewish nation.” The Jews are a “distinctive,” “unique” people, a people “chosen by god.” All peoplesamong whom the Jews live are in one way or another anti-Semites. Anti-Semitism is a “permanent”phenomenon, and assimilation, or the merging of Jews with the surrounding population, is “unnaturaland sinful.” The Jews have “historical rights” to the “lands of their Biblical ancestors” (Palestine andits adjoining regions, where they must gather and build a “purely Jewish” and “egalitarian state.” Zionist ideologists seek to prove the “unbreakable bond of Jews throughout the world” with Zionism,to which they must subordinate their own interests, wherever they may be. The politicized dogmasof Judaism state that the Jews are “chosen by god” and have a messianic task to fulfill. Thesedogmas, and Judaism’s mythical thesis of the Jews’ “uniqueness,” are constituents of the extremenationalism, chauvinism, and racism inherent in Zionist ideology and practice. The ideologists of Zionism maintain that the “Jewish question” is “eternal,” “unique,” and beyondclass considerations. Zionists utilize every means to propagandize the false idea of class peacebetween toiling Jews and the Jewish bourgeoisie (“all Jews are brothers”). All forms of classstruggle among Jews are proclaimed to be national treason. The Zionists have always made use ofdemagogy and tactical maneuvers in their efforts to conceal the antipopular, reactionary essence ofZionism, alleging that Zionism is the “national liberation movement of Jews throughout the world.” After the state of Israel was formed in 1948 on part of Palestine’s territory by a resolution of theUnited Nations, Zionism became Israel’s official ideology. Its main goals are to secure theunconditional support of Israel by the world’s Jews, to gather the world’s Jews in Israel, and toinculcate a Zionist spirit among Jews in various countries. Zionism seeks to expand Israel to theboundaries of the “Greater Land of Israel.” To this end, Zionists evoke the thesis of “eternal anti-Semitism,” a situation which they often deliberately instigate. Zionism is the basis of Israel’s government policy. Zionists have proclaimed the state of Israel tobe the homeland of all Jews, wherever they live and whatever their attitude toward Zionism. TheTwenty-eighth World Zionist Congress, held in Jerusalem in 1972, adopted, in violation ofinternational law, a resolution on the collective obligation of all national and pro-Zionistorganizations to aid the Jewish state under any circumstances and conditions, even if this meansopposing the respective authorities of the countries with a Jewish population. Zionism’s main policy has always been one of struggle, both open and covert, against socialism,the international communist and national liberation movements, and the Soviet Union and othersocialist countries. Immediately after the victory of the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia,Zionism unleashed an active struggle against the new Soviet state. After World War II (1939–45),amid a further intensification of the overall crisis of capitalism, the anticommunism and anti-Sovietism of international Zionism assumed still broader dimensions. The shift in the alignment offorces in the world in favor of socialism, the successful resolution of the national question (includingthe Jewish question) in the USSR, and the Soviet Union’s consistent support of the nationalliberation struggle of the Arab peoples have given rise to intensified anti-Soviet and anti-communistZionist propaganda and activity. International Zionism strives to undermine the moral and political unity of the peoples of thesocialist countries and to prevent citizens of Jewish nationality from participation in buildingsocialism and communism. Zionism seeks to subvert the relaxation of international tension and inparticular the incipient normalization of Soviet-American relations. As a shock detachment ofimperialism, colonialism, and neocolonialism, international Zionism opposes the national liberationmovement of the peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In the Near East, the Zionist ruling circles of Israel conduct a policy of aggression and ofcontinuous territorial expansion at the expense of the Arab peoples, particularly the Arab people ofPalestine. This policy made Israel an imperialist gendarme in the Near East and was the maincause of the Arab-Israeli military conflicts of 1948–49, 1956, 1967, and 1973. Zionism became oneof imperialism’s chief allies in its global struggle against the world liberation movement. Zionism’s ideological concepts and political plans are implemented by a far-flung, highly centralizedsystem of Zionist and pro-Zionist organizations, directed by centers in the USA and Israel. Theadministrating and coordinating center of international Zionism—the WZO system—is the JewishAgency for Israel. The Jewish Agency deals mainly with the immigration of Jews into Israel andacts as the representative of the WZO to the Israeli government. The World Zionist Congress is thede jure highest body of the WZO, which is directed by a group of leaders with close ties to certainimperialist circles in the USA. The executive committee of the WZO has two branches, one in NewYork and one in Jerusalem. The WZO directs and controls Zionist organizations in more than 60 capitalist countries. The largestare the Women’s International Zionist Organization, the World Confederation of United Zionists, theWorld Labor Zionist Movement, and the Zionist Organization of America. The formally non-ZionistWorld Jewish Congress (founded 1936), with organizations in 67 capitalist countries, is under the defacto control of the WZO. Directly or indirectly affiliated with these major organizations is amultitude of local Zionist and pro-Zionist organizations, societies, and committees, which constitutea unified system of international Zionism. The WZO possesses large financial resources, mainlycontributed by Jewish monopolists; some funds are collected by levying substantial dues, whichare sometimes compulsory, on the Jewish population. Many means of mass information are controlled or influenced by Zionist organizations, includingmany publishing houses and radio, television, and film companies in the USA, Western Europe,Latin America, Africa, and Australia. International Zionism has always included a variety ofideological currents, political factions, and groups: Zionist socialists, political Zionists, spiritualZionists, religious Zionists, general Zionists, and revisionist Zionists (today’s fascist Herut Partyand kindred groups). This variety merely reflects the interests of different strata of the Jewishbourgeoisie and does not alter but only masks Zionism’s basically imperialist nature. Essentially, the differences among the various orientations of Zionism do not go beyond disputesover tactics and often reflect the struggle within the Zionist elite for positions of influence. Marxists have always repudiated the theory and practice of Zionism. V. I. Lenin revealed thereactionary essence of Zionism, emphasizing that its dogmas are reactionary, false, and contrary tothe interests of the Jewish proletariat. He criticized the Zionists’ theses concerning the uniquenature of the Jewish people, the alleged absence of class differences among the Jews, and theimaginary communality of their interests, explaining that such assertions aimed to distract theJewish toiling masses from the proletariat’s common class struggle. The international communist movement denounces the anti-popular, reactionary character ofZionism and Zionist activity in all countries. The document adopted by the International Conferenceof Communist and Workers’ Parties in 1969 appealed for “the launching of the broadest movementof protest … against racial and national discrimination, Zionism, and anti-Semitism, which areincited by capitalist reactionary forces and exploited by them to disorient the masses politically.” A consistent struggle against Zionism is waged in particular by the Communist Party of Israel(CPI). The CPI proves convincingly that Zionism has always been exploited by the forces ofextreme reaction and imperialism and that the ideology and practices of Zionism are contrary to theinterests of Jewish toilers throughout the world and the national interests of the people of Israel.The CPI has shown that the struggle against Zionism is a vital necessity for the people of Israeland for all progressive forces. Denouncing the allegedly classless approach of the Zionists to the“Jewish question” the CPI proves that this question can be resolved only with the victory ofdemocracy and socialism, as evidenced by the experience of the USSR and the other socialistcountries. The CPI advocates the brotherhood and friendship of the toilers of all countries andopposes the anti-Soviet slanderous propaganda and subversive activity of the Zionist leaders andrulers of Israel. As the overall crisis of capitalism intensifies, the crisis of Zionist ideology and the untenability of allits concepts become increasingly obvious: the overwhelming majority of Jews reject Zionistdogmas. With rare exceptions, the Jewish population of the USSR, like all the peoples of the SovietUnion and the world’s progressive forces, resolutely condemns the aggressive political course ofthe Zionist ruling clique of Israel. The 30th session of the UN General Assembly (November 1975)classified Zionism as a form of racism and racial discrimination. The natural and objective process of the assimilation of the Jews is gaining strength throughout theworld. In the Jewish communities of the countries of the West and among the population of Israelthere is an increasing comprehension that the Zionist policies of Israel’s ruling circles may lead thepopulation oflsrael to a real national catastrophe. REFERENCES Lenin, V. I. Poln. sobr. sock, 5th ed., vol. 7, p. 121; vol. 8, p. 72. V. I. Lenin, KPSS o proletarskom internatsionalizme: Sb. dokumentov i materialov, vols. 1–2.Moscow, 1974. Mezhdunarodnoe Soveshchanie kommunisticheskikh i rabochikh partii: Dokumenty i malerialy.Moscow, 1969. XVII s”ezd Kommunisticheskoi partii Izrailia. Materials. Moscow, 1973. Ivanov, Iu. Ostorozhno: sionizm! Moscow, 1972. Sionizm: teoriia i praktika. Moscow, 1973. Braginskii, I. “Klassovaia sushchnost’ sionizma.” Kommunist, 1970, no. 9. Erlich, W. “Bankrotstvo reaktsionnoi idei.” Problemy mira i sotsializma, 1973, no. 3. Dadiani, L. “Protiv ideologii i politiki sionizma.” Kommunist, 1975, no. 18. Vilner, Meir. “Bor’ba protiv sionizma—bor’ba klassovaia.” Problemy mira i sotsializma, 1976, no. 1. L. DROZDOV